Harvard paper blasted for seeking immigration agency comment

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) — The student newspaper at Harvard University is facing a campus backlash over a routine request for government comment on a demonstration against a federal immigration agency.

A petition signed by 11 student groups including the Harvard College Democrats accuses the Harvard Crimson of showing cultural insensitivity. The student Democrats said on Twitter they have stopped speaking with the newspaper.

Protesters at the Sept. 12 rally in Harvard Yard called for the abolition of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. The Crimson contacted ICE to ask it for comment for its story on the demonstration, a standard practice in journalism. The Crimson said this week it stands by the decision.

It is the latest example of heightened political sensitivity on college campuses that also have seen a wave of conservative speakers being uninvited.